Jamal Edwards dies at 31
Jamal Edwards dies at 31 – founder of music platform SBTV, YouTube star and music platform entrepreneur Jamal Edwards, has died at the age of 31.
Edwards, born in Luton, was appointed an MBE for services to music in 2014.
He also became an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, a youth charity run by the Prince of Wales which helps young people set up their own companies.
He attended the Brit Awards earlier this month and was understood to have performed as a DJ at a gig in north London on Saturday night.
Founder of music platform SBTV
Tributes to Edwards, a pioneering figure in British rap and grime music, have been paid by many performers in the two genres.
He was awarded an MBE in the 2015 New Year’s Honours List for his services to music, particularly his platform SBTV, which helped launch the careers of a number of successful artists, notably Ed Sheeran.
RIP Jamal Edwards, west london legend status ✊🏽👑💙
— aj tracey (@ajtracey) February 20, 2022
No cause of death had been released at the time of publication.
Presenter and comedian Mo Gilligan, who hosted this year’s Brit awards, tweeted: “A truly humble and blessed soul. Your legacy will live on for years & you’ve inspired a whole generation.”
SBTV – his London-based platform for discovering emerging artists and named after Edwards’ own rapper moniker SmokeyBarz- has since grown to 1.22m subscribers on YouTube.
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